With more than 2.5 million page views and more than 4,700 items, this blog provides news and commentary on public policy, business and economic issues related to the $3 billion California stem cell agency, officially known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM). David Jensen, a retired California newsman, has published this blog since January 2005. His email address is djensen@californiastemcellreport.com.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

LOS ANGELES -- The California stem cell agency today awarded $67 million for translational research and approved one appeal from a scientist whose application was turned down by grant reviewers.

The grants are a “key element of CIRM's pipeline to the clinic,” directors were told. The research is aimed at creating a “development candidate ready for IND-enabling preclinical development” or making progress on a development candidate.

Sophie Deng, an ophthalmologist at UCLA, was successful in her pitch to reverse a negative decision by reviewers. Following her presentation to the board, CIRM Director Jeff Sheehy, vice chairman of the grants review group, said the $1.5 million grant was a “no brainer.” He said it could lead to FDA approval of a treatment already being used in Europe.

One business, iPierian, Inc., of South San Francisco, was awarded $5.7 million, which will come in the form of a loan, assuming CIRM completes its paper work. James Harrison, outside counsel to the board, said that more documents needed to be processed. Ipierian is heavily backed by venture capitalists who contributed more than $6 million to the ballot initiative campaign that created the Calfiornia stem cell agency. The firm has already received a $1.5 million grant.

Directors put off action on an appeal petition by Leif Havton of UCLA as they were pressed for time at midafternoon. Members of the board needed to catch flights and lost a quorum. The board concurred earlier with reviewers' negative decisions on other two appeals by Frederick Meyers and Kit Lam of UC Davis and WenYong Chen of the City of Hope.

Another application, 1778, related to Parkinson's Disease was sent back to CIRM President Alan Trounson for additional review. The board has funded little research connected to Parkinson's because of the dearth of researchers in that area in California. Director Joan Samuelson, a patient advocate for Parkinson's Disease, pushed for funding of the grant.

Separately, the board awarded a $4.9 million grant to Peter Coffey of the United Kingdom, who was described by Trounson as “clearly one of the best scientists in the world.” The grant is aimed at helping to recruit Coffey to UC Santa Barbara. It was the second recruitment award by CIRM.

About Me

The California Stem Cell Report is the only nongovernmental website devoted solely to the $3 billion California stem cell agency. The report is published by David Jensen, who worked for 22 years for The Sacramento Bee in a variety of editing positions, including executive business editor and special projects editor. He was the primary editor on the 1992 Pulitzer Prize-winning series, "The Monkey Wars" by Deborah Blum, which dealt with opposition to research on primates. Jensen served as a press aide in the 1974 campaign and first administration of Gov. Jerry Brown. (Time served: two years and one week.) Jensen began writing about the stem cell agency in 2005, noting that it is an unprecedented effort that uniquely combines big science, big business, big academia, big politics, religion, ethics and morality as well as life and death. The California Stem Cell Report has been identified as one of the best stem cell sites on the Internet. Its readership includes the media (both mainstream and science), a wide range of academic/research institutions globally, the NIH and California policy makers.